Friday, April 2, 2010

Tokyo subway - getting to and from Shinjuku

I%26#39;ve been studying the tokyo subway maps before we leave and I%26#39;ve been trying to figure out what%26#39;s the best way to get from A to B etc.

It%26#39;s hard to judge which routes are more direct and which are more circular, especially since it seems like every subway map I look at is drawn a bit differently. I%26#39;m sure it%26#39;ll be super easy and convenient once we figure the system out, but since I%26#39;m trying to get a head start, I thought I%26#39;d pick the brains of those here who have experience navigating the underground

From Narita %26lt;-%26gt; Shinjuku, it looks like the NEX/Suica pass is the best, but does the JR line take you all the way to Shinjuku? It looks like from the map, the train takes the southern route around the city and back up north to Shinjuku.

www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/guide.html

Shinjuku -%26gt; Tsukiji Fish Market:

Marunouchi Line -%26gt; Hibiya @ Ginza -%26gt; H10

Tsukiji -%26gt; Asakusa:

Hibiya / Asakusa lines

Shinjuku %26lt;-%26gt; Akihabara:

Chuo JR line

Also it looks like our hotel might be closer to the Shijuku San Chome station, but from google maps it looks like the entire underground station is connected to the main Shinjuku station, is that right?

Are there any recommended line transfer stations in Tokyo? Ones that may have fewer stairs between the levels you may be transferring, or ones that don%26#39;t require a mile hike to get from one platform to another?

Tokyo subway - getting to and from Shinjuku

Yes trains on the Narita Express go direct to Shinjuku, many but not all, check the Narita Express time table to see which ones go to Shinjuku:

Note if you want to catch the early morning auction from the beginning, none of the subways will get you there in the very first early morning train is a JR train. But if you have no intention of getting up at 430 then it doesn%26#39;t matter. The rest of the fish market is fine.

You want to keep price down, so if you are going Hibiya to Asakusa, take the Ginza Subway line instead of the Asakusa subway line, remember Tokyo has two different subway companies, each with their own costs, so if you took Hibiya line and Asakussa line you pay 2 companies, if you took Hibiya line and Ginza Line it is one company, one lower price.

Shinjuku-Akihabara, take the Chuo-Sobu Line LOCAL (yellow), not the Chuo Line (Rapid) Orange.

Shinjuku=SanChome is technically, and I say technically, but in reality its a maze of underground tunnels connected via department stores, buildings, and smaller other places, its a maze, just stay on the surface if you need to walk between the two, easier to get your barings.

Tokyo subway - getting to and from Shinjuku

An easy way to figure out how to get from A to B - www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

It%26#39;s much easier than trying to figure it out on a map. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2017.html

How about the Limo bus from the airport? This is what I was planning on doing. It might cost alittle more, however you don%26#39;t have to worry about the train station when you have your luggage and are disoriented from the flight in.

tokyosubway - I didn%26#39;t mean to make my post title sound like your username =)

Thanks! I forgot the stop I should be looking for was Tsukijishijo. We were planning on getting to the market around 5:30-5:45, I%26#39;ll have to take a look at the schedules to see when the first train I can catch going in that direction is then. Hmm, looks like earliest is 5:18am -%26gt; 5:43am @ tsukijishijo, will that be early enough for the auctions?

Hmm, I can%26#39;t find a map that shows the difference between the local Chuo-Sobu line and the rapid Chuo line. All the tokyo metro maps I can find either show a grey JR line or a green Chuo line. Is the local/rapid color coding difference not something I%26#39;ll see until I get to the station?

www.tokyometro.jp/global/en/travel/index.html

johomaps.com/as/japan/tokyo/tokyo2.html

Dave148 - excellent links!

chrystie - I looked into the Limo bus, but read that traffic can be a real hold up in the afternoon. I%26#39;m pretty used to lugging my luggage around the trains when we travel and hopefully our 2 small wheeled suitcases won%26#39;t be too much a hassle in Tokyo.

You can check the difference between Chuo-Sobu and Chuo (rapid) line in this map.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/info/map_a4ol.pdf

JLady

Jlady%26#39;s map is a good one, however, pay special attention that there are two orange lines, the Chuo and the Musashino lines. The Chuo line terminates at Tokyo Station.

Since the musashino line doesn%26#39;t go to Shinjuku station, its pretty nil and nothing to worry about. There are many colors reused by JR, just for ID purposes, go with name and station.

Any case AT Shinjuku on the JR lines, there%26#39;s only one Chuo Sobu (LOCAL) line that is designated yellow, going in the direction of Akihabara, so its not a major problem.

I made an even simpler map that includes only the 3 major lines tourists really need to know:

http://www.tokyosubway.info

The Tsukiji Fish Auction begins at 5:30am.

The key to saving some money is to understand transfers and geography.

1. Transfers: try to limit the number of rail or subway companies you will use on the same trip. For example, keeping to the same subway line as suggested, or keeping to JR instead of JR to subway and vice versa can save you quite a bit of money, and often, even time.

2. Geography: understand that for certain destinations, they can be reached via multiple stations fairly close to each other. For Ginza, for example, in addition to Ginza subway stations, JR Shimbashi is just down the street, and Y奴rakuch艒 is very close as well.

okay, now I feel totally ready to tackle the Tokyo subway system ^_^

One more route that I haven%26#39;t been figure out is, how does one get to Odaiba? From what I can tell it%26#39;s the Yurikamome line which seems to start from Shinbashi, but is that JR or something else?

And what is the best stop to get off to have the best view of the Rainbow bridge at night? Daiba?

At the JR Shimbashi (or Shinbashi, which is the same thing) station, just follow the signs to Yurikamome. The transfer is very straightforward.

There is a man-made beach at Odaiba that gives good view of the bridge with the city in the background.